Making Paper Circuit Art Interactive With the Chibi Chip & a Reed Switch

In this Instructable, artist/educator Celeste Moreno shares her process for creating interactive paper circuit art using the Chibi Chip microcontroller, Chibitronics LED stickers, and public domain artwork.

I love the process of collaging and augmenting existing images, especially using paper circuit materials. Paper circuits can add a magical touch to any project and using the Chibi Chip opens up even more possibilities for interactivity and storytelling with lights and paper.

1. Chibi Chip / Clip with Cable
2. Conductive Fabric Tape
3. Chibitronics LED Lights
4. Reed Switch – Magnet On
5. Small magnet

Before diving in, it's helpful to view the video to see a detailed demonstration of how to transform a piece of public domain artwork into an interactive piece of art.

One of my favorite places to find open source images is the Smithsonian’s digital collections. For this project, I used this fantastic image called, “Beautiful exotic bees from Curiosities of entomology“.

Something different I did for this project was use the online tool circuitsketcher.com to plan my design in advance and create a “template” for myself. I printed this image and used it as my base. I then printed another copy of the image (without the circuit elements) and layered it on top of my circuit.

I made this image interactive by creating a circuit with the Chibi Chip that turns the LED stickers on when I move a magnet close to the reed sensor in the upper left corner of the image.

For me, using code and sensors is a way to extend storytelling. When I create a program, I try to create something that looks fun or interesting, but also tells a story. The story I told here was about busy bees communicating with each other. As I move a cut-out of a bee closer to the image, the rest of the bees appear to light up and flicker, almost like they’re greeting each other!

To program the Chibi Chip, I used the Microsoft MakeCode online coding editor, a block code editor.

Here’s what my code looked like, and a link to the program: https://makecode.com/_cmrW7wRyaiwx